Food poisoning and prevention

Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating foods that have harmful organisms in them. These harmful germs can include bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Food poisoning is a common, usually mild, but sometimes deadly illness. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea that occur suddenly (within 48 hours) after consuming a contaminated food or drink. You must admit, at some stage in yout life you have suffered food poisoning, but what is it and what causes it?

Causes: The known causes of food poisoning can be divided into two categories: infectious agents and toxic agents.

Infectious agents include viruses, bacteria, and parasites.
Toxic agents include poisonous mushrooms, improperly prepared exotic foods (such as barracuda), or pesticides on fruits and vegetables.
Food usually becomes contaminated from poor sanitation or preparation. Food handlers who do not wash their hands after using the bathroom or have infections themselves often cause contamination. Improperly packaged food stored at the wrong temperature also promotes contamination.

Types of food poisoning:

Escherichia coli (e. coli) O157:H7: Escherichia coli (E. coli) are members of a large group of bacterial germs that inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and other warm blooded animals. Children and the elderly are at greatest risk for complications resulting from E. coli O157:H7 infection. Ecoli can cause watery diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, mild fever, anemia. E. coli food poisoning is most often associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef. Other sources of infection include the consumption of non-pasteurized milk and juice, sprouts, leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach, and salami; swimming in sewage-contaminated lakes and pools; or drinking inadequately chlorinated water.

escherichia_coli

Listeria / Listeriosis: Listeriosis is a serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Symptoms of the illness include fever, muscle aches, and, occasionally, nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur. The disease affects primarily pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with weakened immune systems. Listeria food poisoning has been associated with uncooked meats, fish (uncooked or smoked), and vegetables, as well as with processed foods, such cheese (particularly soft cheeses), ice cream, and cold cuts. Non- pasteurized milk or milk products may contain the bacterium. Ready-to-eat foods, such as hotdogs and deli meats, may become contaminated with Listeria after cooking but prior to packaging.

Norovirus: Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis, or "stomach flu," in humans. These viruses may also be referred to as Norwalk-like viruses or caliciviruses. Vomiting, diarrhea, and fever typically characterize norovirus infection. Shellfish, salad ingredients, and contaminated water are the sources most commonly associated with norovirus food poisoning.
Salmonella: Salmonellosis is an infection caused a bacterium called Salmonella. One of the most common food borne illnesses, it occurs when food contaminated by Salmonella is consumed. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12-72 hours after infection. Salmonella may also be found in the feces of some pets, especially those with diarrhea.

People can become infected if they do not wash their hands after contact with these feces. Salmonellosis can also occur after handling reptiles, such as turtles, lizards, and snakes, since even healthy reptiles are likely to carry Salmonella. Hands should be washed immediately after handling a reptile, and adults should make sure that children wash their hands after handling a reptile. Salmonella food poisoning can also occur as a result of cross-contamination. For example, juices from raw meat or poultry left behind on a cutting board can contaminate fruit or vegetables if the board is not properly washed before their preparation.

Precautions:

Wash your hands often and always before you touch food. Keep your knives, cutting boards, and counters clean. You can wash them with hot, soapy water, or put items in the dishwasher and use a disinfectant on your counter. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables.
Keep germs from raw meat from getting on fruits, vegetables, and other foods. Put cooked meat on a clean platter, not back on the one that held the raw meat.
Make sure that meat, chicken, fish, and eggs are fully cooked. Cook ground meats to 160degrees F; ground poultry to 165 degrees F. Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops may be cooked to 145 degrees F; all cuts of fresh pork, 160 degrees F. Whole poultry should reach 180 degrees F in the thigh; breasts 170 degrees F.